One of the pioneers of American country music, Arthur Smith, has died at the age of ninety-three. Considered one of the most influential guitar players in country and early rock 'n' roll, Smith found fame with his 1948 single Guitar Boogie. A young Paul McCartney played it during his first concert with a Liverpool band which went on to become The Beatles.
Ken Garfield wrote about country music and religion for the Charlotte Observer and became a friend of Arthur Smith who lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. He talked to Julian Marshall.